Effect of Low Temperature on

Vegetable Production

Amit kumar
2014A57D
Temperature
Temperature is the most important climatic factor to be considered in
vegetable production. It determines when and where a certain crop can be
grown, and vegetable crops can be broadly classified according to their
temperature requirements.

 However, such groupings should not be seen as absolute, because of

various factors:

 Sudden extremes of temperature are much more harmful than more
gradual ones.
 Susceptibility to cold or heat may vary according to the growth stage of
the crop.
 Cabbage and lettuce are most prone to frost damage at the heading stage,
green peas at the flower and young pod stage, and so on.
Two categories of low temperature are:
1) Chilling injury – temp. above freezing point (>0 0C)

2) Freezing injury – temp. below freezing point (<0 0C)

Freezing injury:
* Primary direct injury – intracellular freezing

* Secondary freeze dehydration – extracellular

Cold acclimation : “Many temperate plants are able to

increase their freezing tolerance upon exposure to low non-
freezing temperatures, this phenomenon is known as cold
acclimation.” (Sakai and Larcher, 1987)
Vernalization - The biennials crops (those that flower
in alternate years), and some of the cool season crops
initiate flower formation after extended (several
weeks or months) exposure to low temperature. The
exposure of certain plants to low temperatures
induces or accelerates flowering (bolting). This is
vernalization. The required length of low
temperature exposure varies with species.
Premature flowering is called bolting. This can cause
substantial yield loss. This is particularly true for
crops that require little cold exposure, like heat
tolerant Chinese cabbage.
Classification of certain vegetable crops according to their adaptation to field temperatures

Hardy (can withstand moderate frosts)

Asparagus Garlic Radish

Broad bean Kohlrabi Rhubarb
Broccoli Mustard Spinach
Brussels sprouts Parsley Turnip
Cabbage Pea
Chive (flowers & pods are more sensitive
to frost)

Half-hardy (can withstand light frosts)

Beetroot Chinese cabbage
Carrot Globe artichoke
Cauliflower Lettuce
Celery Parsnip
Potato

Tender (sensitive to frost and low temperatures)

Cucumber Pumpkin
Eggplant Squash
Lima bean Sweet melon
Chilli Okra
 Impact of low Temperature on Cells

Cell injury:
 Direct frost damage occurs when ice crystals form inside the protoplasm of
cells (intracellular freezing), whereas indirect damage can occur when ice
forms inside the plants but outside of the cells (i.e. extracellular freezing).
It is not cold temperature but ice formation that actually injures the plants
(Westwood, 1978).
 It is believed that intracellular ice formation causes a “mechanical disruption
of the protoplasmic structure” (Levitt, 1980).
 The extent of damage due to intracellular freezing depends mainly on how
fast the temperature drops and to what level it supercool before freezing.
There is little or no evidence that the duration of the freezing affects injury.
In fact, Levitt (1980) states that freeze injury seems to be independent of
time for short periods (e.g. 2–24 hours).
AVOIDANCE, TOLERANCE AND HARDENING
Plants resist low temperatures by avoidance or tolerance. Strategies to
avoid low temperatures include:

Snow retention throughout the winter, which protects both the aerial
and subterranean parts of the plants (Ventskevich, 1958);

The biophysical effect of dense canopies, which shield part of the plant
from the cold sky.

Bulky organs (e.g. trunks or big fruits) with high heat capacity that lag
their temperature behind air temperature, which may save them from
damaging temperatures (Turrell and Austin, 1969); and

Artificial frost protection methods, which modify the microclimate of

the plants (e.g. foams, covers and fogging).
Tolerance of low temperature can be achieved by:

Avoiding freezing through a decrease of the freezing point or an

increase in the degree of supercooling (Burke et al., 1976);

Tolerance of extracellular freezing by reducing the amount of ice

formed due to an increase of the concentration of solutes in the
protoplasm (Li and Palta, 1978);

Tolerance of a higher degree of desiccation due to the plasmolysis

of the protoplasm (Gusta, Burke and Kapoor, 1975).

Increasing the permeability of the plasma membrane to avoid

intracellular
freezing (Alden and Hermann, 1971; Levitt, 1980).
PASSIVE PROTECTION
Passive protection includes methods that are implemented before a frost night to
help avoid the need for active protection. The main passive methods are:
 site selection;
 managing cold air drainage;
 plant selection;
 canopy trees;
 plant nutritional management;
 proper pruning;
 plant covers;
 avoiding soil cultivation;
 irrigation;
 removing cover crops;
 soil covers;
 trunk painting and wraps
 \ bacteria control; and
 planting date for annual crops.
Passive methods are usually less costly than active methods and often the
benefits are sufficient to eliminate the need for active protection.
Hardening
 Hardening involves both mechanisms of avoidance and
tolerance of freezing.
 The accumulation of sugars or sugar alcohols lower the freezing
temperature of tissues (e.g. in olive and citrus tree leaves) and
supercooling increases in many deciduous and evergreen fruit
trees in response to low air temperature.
 Some cells may harden by increasing the proportion of
unsaturated fatty acids of plasma membrane lipids, which would
increases membrane stability during desiccation.
 Since hardening is an active process that depends on assimilate
level in the tissues, all conditions that deplete the pool of
assimilates in the tissues reduce hardening.
PLANT SENSITIVITY
Plants fall into four freeze-
sensitivity categories:
(1)Tender
(2) Slightly hardy
(3) Moderately hardy
(4) Very hardy (Levitt, 1980).
• Tender plants are those that have not developed
avoidance of intracellular freezing (e.g. mostly tropical
plants).
• Slightly hardy plants include most of the subtropical
fruit trees, deciduous trees during certain periods, and
fruit and vegetable horticultural [truck] crops that are
sensitive to freezing down to about -5 °C.
• Moderately hardy plants include those that can
accumulate sufficient solutes to resist freeze injury to
temperatures as low as -10 °C mainly by avoiding
dehydration damage, but they are less able to tolerate
lower temperatures.
• Very hardy plants are able to avoid intracellular
freezing as well as avoid damage due to cell
desiccation.
Susceptibility of fresh fruits and vegetables to freezing injury

MOST MODERATELY LEAST

SUSCEPTIBLE SUSCEPTIBLE SUSCEPTIBLE
Apricots Apples Beets
Asparagus Broccoli Brussels sprouts
Avocados Carrots Cabbage, mature and
Bananas
Cauliflower savoury
Beans, snap
Berries (except Celery Dates
cranberries) Cranberries Kale
Cucumbers Grapefruit Kohlrabi
Eggplant Grapes Parsnips
Lemons Onion (dry) Rutabagas
Lettuce Oranges Salsify
Limes Parsley Turnips
Okra
Pears
Peaches
Peppers, sweet Peas
Plums Radishes
Potatoes Spinach
Squash, Summer Squash, Winter
Sweet potatoes
Tomatoes
Frost damage symptoms for vegetable crops (Caplan, 1988)
CROP SYMPTOMS
Artichoke Epidermis becomes detached and forms whitish to light tan blisters.
When blisters are broken, underlying tissue turns brown.

Asparagus Tip becomes limp and dark and the rest of the spear is water
soaked. Thawed spears become mushy.
Beet External and internal water soaking and sometimes blackening of
conductive tissue.
Broccoli The youngest florets in the centre of the curd are most sensitive to
freezing injury. They turn brown and give off strong odour.
Cabbage Leaves become water soaked, translucent and limp. Upon thawing
the epidermis separates.
Carrot Blistered appearance, jagged length-wise cracks. Interior becomes
water soaked and darkens upon thawing.
Cauliflower Curds turn brown and have a strong off-odour when cooked.

Celeray Leaves and petioles appear wilted and water soaked upon thawing.
Petioles freeze more readily than leaves.
Garlic Thawed cloves appear greyish yellow and water soaked.
Lettuce Blistering of dead cells of the separated epidermis on outer leaves,
and become tan with increased susceptibility to physical damage
and decay.
Onion Thawed bulbs are soft, greyish yellow and water soaked in cross-
section. Damage is often limited to individual scales.
Pepper, bell Dead, water-soaked tissue in part or all of pericarp surface with
pitting, shrivelling and decay follow thawing.
Potato Freezing injury may not be externally evident, but shows as grey or
bluish-grey patches beneath the skin. Thawed tubers become soft.
Thawed tissues appear translucent and the roots soften and shrivel.
Radish A yellowish-brown discoloration of the vascular ring and a yellowish
Sweet potato green, water-soaked appearance of other tissues. Roots soften and
become susceptible to decay.
Tomato Water soaked and soft upon thawing. In partially frozen fruits, the
margin between healthy and dead tissue is distinct, especially in
green fruits.
Small water-soaked spots or pitting on the surface. Injured tissues
Turnip appear tan or grey and give off an objectionable odour.
Some cold set of
Cultivars
 Cluster bean – Sharad Bahar
 Tomato- cold set, Ostenkinskinz,
Mount Fevet, Pusa Sheetal
Conclusion
As low temperature is very harmful for vegetables crop so use such
cultivars which can withstand or tolerate the low temperature like
Pusa Sheetal in Tomato, as well as try to other methods of
protection from low temperature like avoidence from cold.
THANK YOU….
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